UCI relents, agrees to reinstate multiple graduation ceremonies

March 4, 2014

Updated March 6, 2014 12:28 p.m.

1 of 1

Graduation ceremonies at UC Irvine, such as this one from 2011, traditionally have been divided by school. But UCI's recent move to consolidate all the 2014 graduation ceremonies into a single event - possibly to include a live speech from President Barack Obama - has frustrated many students. Now, the school plans to offer an option of attending a smaller ceremony, on campus, or a larger ceremony at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Graduation ceremonies at UC Irvine, such as this one from 2011, traditionally have been divided by school. But UCI's recent move to consolidate all the 2014 graduation ceremonies into a single event - possibly to include a live speech from President Barack Obama - has frustrated many students. Now, the school plans to offer an option of attending a smaller ceremony, on campus, or a larger ceremony at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

UC Irvine will offer multiple commencement ceremonies after all, even as it sticks with a plan to offer an event at Angel Stadium that might feature a speech from President Barack Obama.

The school said it is reinstating the option of attending individual on-campus ceremonies in response to student protests against a plan to hold only a single, larger ceremony in Anaheim.

“We appreciate that our administrators listened to what the graduating class had to say,” said Alex Liao, an international studies major who expects to graduate in June.

Each year, UCI holds individual graduation ceremonies for each of the university’s schools. This year, eight different ceremonies were slated to be held on campus on June 15 and 16.

But in February UCI announced that it was scrapping those smaller ceremonies to hold a single, larger commencement at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 14.

The reason: They want to make a big splash to commemorate the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s dedication of the campus in 1964. And they are hoping that President Barack Obama will be the splash-maker.

Obama has been invited to be keynote speaker. And tomorrowDr. Thomas Parham, UCI’s vice chancellor for student affairs, is expected to be in Washington, D.C. to deliver more than 10,000 letters and postcards from students and alumni to Obama’s scheduler’s office.

The White House has told UCI not to expect a reply to the invitation until April.

The logistics for a possible presidential visit require advance planning – and a venue bigger than anything UCI has on campus. So UCI administrators are negotiating a contract to rent the stadium on June 14, an away game for the Angels, at an estimated cost of $2 million, according to spokeswoman Cathy Lawhon.

All 8,000 graduates are invited to attend the stadium event, along with guests.

But last month, when the single-graduation plan was announced, some graduating seniors were upset about the short notice. They said their families had already made flight and hotel arrangements for the original commencement dates, and in some cases had paid for and sent out invitations that had to be recalled.

Other students worried that the president would overshadow their big day. With all 8,000 graduates at the same commencement, they worried they wouldn’t get a chance to walk across the stage or hear their name called.

Last week, senior Ruchi Bal penned a petition on change.org asking that the individual ceremonies be reinstated. Within a couple of days, the petition had 2,501 signatures.

“The students are absolutely exhilarated that our efforts paid off and the individual ceremonies have been reinstated,” Bal wrote via email.

The student push was key.

“Certainly we heard our students and their parents who wanted to keep the individual school ceremonies intact,” said Lawhon. “It was always our intention to recognize them individually in some way.”

Over the weekend, the UCI website was updated to reinstate the eight school-based ceremonies “in which graduates will be individually recognized.”

Petition organizers are happy.

“(Having the individual ceremonies and combined stadium commencement) is the best of both worlds,” Liao said.

Now all UCI needs is Obama. That courtship continues.

Along with the letters and postcards being taken to Washington D.C., Parham will drop off a videotaped invite from UCI basketball star Mamadou Ndiaye, who at 7-foot-6 is the nation’s tallest collegiate basketball player.

And if Obama does not accept the invite?

Lawhon said they have several other keynote speakers in mind, but it would be premature to say who at this time.

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.